Rating: 
Summary: A Unique Spin On the Traditional Vampire Tale.
Review: The Summoning is the first Bentley Little novel I've read, but it won't be the last....His story of an ancient evil preying on the residents of a small Arizona town is absolutely riveting read. Little creates a smart cast of characters, including Rich Carter, editor of the local newspaper, and his Brother Robert, the local Sheriff, Sue Wing, a young Chinese girl whose Grandmother knows a thing or two about Vampires, and the Cup Hu Grignsi himself, an ancient vampiric monster who has decided to stop creeping around in the night, and make his presense known to the world. The method the creature intends to use to reveal himself to the World is pretty unique, but is bound to be troublesome to some of the more Religious readers. It made me a little uncomfortable, and I don't consider myself Religious at all. But I guess that's the mark of a good horror novel....The only thing keeping The Summoning from a perfect 5 is the ending: It seemed a little rushed, and I would have appreciated more insight into the Vampire. Overall, though, The Summoning is as creepy as hell, and one of the best books I've read in a good long while. I'm looking forward to reading more of Mr. Little's work.
Rating: 
Summary: The Summoning is a gem in disguise
Review: The Summoning kept me on the edge of my chair. I could not put it down. It is so well written, and scary. I recommend it to all those who like vampire stories. - Ann from a Buffalo suburb)
Rating:
Summary: A Deliciously Unique Vampire Tale.....
Review: The Summoning starts similar to your average murder mystery: A small town, a mysterious death, a police investigation....and takes off from there. A series of strange deaths occur, animals and people....in all of them, the body is fully drained of all blood & organs, literally just skin and bones left. About the same time, Pastor Wheeler is seeing visions of Jesus and believes he is called upon to help The Lord with the Second Coming, by building a special church. But there is much twisted about Mr. Wheeler's visions and beliefs, and as for the church he starts building and the way his congregation starts acting, you'll just have to see! Maybe not perfect or a classic, The Summoning was enjoyable for anyone who likes the occasional supernatural story. As the members of the town grow to believe a vampire is responsible for the strange deaths...you begin to wonder, as many of the typical vampire beliefs/lore (crosses, garlic, etc.) don't seem to be at play here, but other totally new myths, piloted by a Chinese family in town, who ultimately engineers the resolution. It's a nice blend of the typcial (small town reporter, police, FBI, etc.) and atypical (Chinese legends, and the vampire you'll find out is not typical...) Some of the imagery and circumstances are horrifying, particularly if you are a religous person. Situations you might picture satan devising, especially at the climax, are present throughout. I will agree with a review I read that said some questions remain unanswered, like why did the creature choose Rio Verde? Were there any further connections to May Wing? and more.... My second B.L. book...I can't wait to try more!
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This book has it all. It's scary, funny and, most interestingly, heart-tugging. I loved the relationship between Rich and Robert, the two brothers, and I loved the way Little let them refer back to incidents in their lives without giving us all the details. It lent an aura of believability to everything. And I found the end heart-wrenching. I had tears in my eyes--which never happens to me with horror novels. This is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME BOOK!
Review: This book is probably the best book that I've read in a long time. It scared me too and that doesn't happen very often! If you like Stephen King you'll definetly like Bentley Little. Very invigorating. The Summoning is a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Summoning Falls Short
Review: This book starts out with a very strange and very promising intro involving a holier than thou priest and a strange apparition. From there it quickly falls. The book goes through the motions, introducing main characters Rich and Robert (brothers) and young oriental hottie Sue Wing who are brought together to battle the evil Oriental vampire that's come to the American desert. Problem is only Sue's grandma knows how to stop it and she really likes to take her sweet time, but if she doesn't hurry this evil mysterious vampire's going to keep killing the towns people! Hurry grandma hurry! The real problem (beyond a slow old lady)? Rich is boring, Robert is boring, and Sue, well she's boring too. They don't feel like characters so much as "types". Sue is the misunderstood foriegner who works in a family run chinese food restaraunt. Rich is a journalist. He's always after facts. Robert is the local Chief of Police. He's got to protect the town. None of the characters are elevated beyond this. What's worse is Little insists on walking us through very pointless narratives "he got up walked to the sink rinsed his dishes then went and sat back down." That's fine but as a reader I felt like he was wasting our time by throwing in additional exposition with very little imagery. The climax is weak and the sense of dread we feel early on quickly dissipates. The vampire is mostly talked about and very little action is seen. The reader sees a lot of the "aftermath" which is gleefully told in gory detail. It seems Little understands the reader is getting board with his characters so he breaks up chapters with extreme scenes only good for shock value. When I say extreme I mean extreme. I am a hardened horror veteran and some of these things made me frown. The main problem with shock scenes like Little's is they are only there to shock, they do little for the plot--except to maybe make you hate a minor character more before he gets his. To get to the point avoid this vampire story and write one yourself--it will be more fun.
Rating:
Summary: UNIQUE VAMPIRE STORY!
Review: Vampires these days are either of the traditional
European gentleman variety, the young punk/rocker
variety, the misunderstood race of creatures variety
or some combination thereof. Bentley Little has
rejuvinated these tired cliches by infusing them
with some cross-cultural references. To my knowledge,
this is horror fiction's first CHINESE vampire, and
Little not only gets his folklore right but does a
pretty convincing job of portraying the prejudice
minorities face in a small American town. Little has
always included characters that are not the typical
middle-class WASPS of most contemporary horror (witness
his disabled character in UNIVERSITY), but here he
outdoes himself. An epic book that deals with big subjects
and is a hell of a thrill ride to boot. This guy is one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: the summoning
Review: Very good vampire novel. I enjoy horror novels but it seems like everybody has to write a vampire story. (Some try to make a career out of writing vampire novels) This is different enough to make the reader want to say "ok just one more vampire novel". This novel touches on the fact that vampire lore is different in different countires. Not every vampire can be destroyed by a wooden stake, garlic, cross or holy water.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of interesting twists.
Review: When I started THE SUMMONING I thought I was going to find myself reading the standard, western vampire story. You know, caves, bats, Indian legends, etc. But every time I almost got it pinned down the plot took a little twist. It still is basically one of the 'small group of people vs. the monster' genre. But it is more than that. I have no idea if Cup-hu-girngsi's are a real Chinese legend, but they are a unique spin on the vampire persona. These days most vampires are heroes in TV series. Instead, the corpse-who drinks-blood is one of the genuinely horrific, subverting, personalities and human foibles to create some remarkable acts of evil. The violence escalates nicely without being excessive and it's chilling nature adds a sense of tragedy to the story. Several of the character depictions (like the Chinese grandmother) stand out. The book stands out from others in this genre.
Rating: 
Summary: The Summoning
Review: While "The Summoning" is an engaging and creepy story, I felt disappointed after reading.The author did a great job of creating potentially interesting characters, but didn't develop them. There was one pivitol moment when a frustrated wife reveals the deep-seated root of her anger at her husband--he didn't accompany her to the doctor when she had a breast cancer scare the year before. However, the author dropped it after the revelation. You also have to suspend disbelief. Didn't any of the "unaffected" people of Rio Verde think the black church was odd? Why were some affected and others not? Was it some character flaw on their part? A husband notices his wife acting oddly, but doesn't protect his daughter. Finally, very little explanation was given about creature itself. Where did it come from? Why Rio Verde? Was there a link between it and the Wing family, or was it coincidence? I came away from this story with more questions than answers.
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